Field testing of a communications device in a communications network often is performed to achieve optimum service performance and to ensure a satisfactory user experience. It is not uncommon for service providers to spend large sums of money to mitigate problems associated with service performance quality. Typically, large numbers of human testers are employed to physically visit geographical regions in order to monitor the performance of communications devices in a live network. An example of this is illustrated in a current television commercial in which a team of testers ask “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?” Typically, human testers perform pre-defined tests and record test results for subsequent off-line analysis.
After analyzing test results, a service provider typically will survey network conditions using the field test data collected from the human testers to perform system analysis in order to identify any network resource shortages and/or problems. If problems or shortages are discovered, the service provider typically implants more network resources (e.g., a switch, a cellular tower, etc.) and/or reallocates network resources to resolve the problem.
This type of field testing, performance management, and resource allocation can be cumbersome, time consuming, non-real time, and expensive. For example, human testers can be expensive and the quality of work can be subjective and/or inconsistent. Each tester has individual subjective judgments which can cause a variation of quality standards on his/her work. Furthermore, this type of resource allocation and performance management is reactive and non-real time. Only samples of live network conditions are obtained. And, because live network condition continue to vary over time, a previously sampled network condition may not be appropriate for a current network condition. Additionally, service performance requirements for users vary from service to service (e.g., email, video, audio, game, etc.), and current field testing, performance management and allocation systems do not distinguish between a subscriber's status and service performance requirement in order to assign the appropriate resource.